(Continued from last issue)
David and Diane have been married for years; then there is Julie, the young secretary whose axis collides with the couple’s in ways none of them saw coming.
DAVID
I hardly got a wink of sleep all night, thinking about Diane and both the short and long term implications of the accident.
Since Diane had admitted responsibility for the accident, there were no doubt going to be the legal costs to deal with, compensating the other driver involved and paying off the police so no charges were pressed, and that was not taking into consideration how much it would cost to fix her car.
Besides that, Kenneth had made it clear that Diane was going to need round the clock help and care for a while, and with all my responsibilities at work, I obviously was not going to be able to be the one to provide that care, which meant I was going to have to find an alternative solution.
Since the children were already at her parents’ place, the logical solution was for her to move there too, at least until she was fully back on her feet, but I was not sure she would agree to that arrangement; after Julie, I was not sure she trusted me that much yet – and truth be told, I wasn’t sure I trusted me that much yet, either.
Speaking of Julie, I had not resolved anything with her yet, so even though Diane’s accident was a terrible thing that I wished had never happened, having her tucked away, first at the hospital, and then hopefully at her parents’ place, would provide me with the space and time to settle things with Julie.
First though, I had to call the office to let them know I needed the day off to handle ‘a family emergency’, then inform Diane’s parents about the accident, and finally go to the police station to settle whoever needed to be settled. Only once all that had been dealt with, could I turn my attention to Julie.
DIANE
David kept his word and returned first thing the next morning – but he was not alone; he had my parents with him. Considering that they were the reason I had been upset and distracted when I had the accident, I privately blamed them for it, so they were the last people I wanted to see just then.
Furthermore, after a long, pain filled night, I did not have the energy or desire to mask how I felt, so while my mother rushed to my side, tears streaming down her face, crying “oh my child, my poor child”, and my father somberly bowed and shook his head, like he was at a funeral, I pointedly ignored them and focused on David.
“Thanks for coming so early,” I said quietly. “I said I would; how are you feeling?” “Better,” I lied.
The truth was that every inch of my body ached, but after all the problems and inconveniences I had no doubt caused with the accident, the last thing I wanted to do was be even more of a burden to David than I already was; so, I tried to put on a brave face.
“Good. What does the doctor say? Has he been in to see you today?”
“I’ve seen a doctor, but not the same one as yesterday; I think that one’s shift ended, but the one I saw this morning was good as well. He gave me some painkillers and anti-inflammatories and said I’ll be fine and that he’ll be back to check on me later.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a doctor; I’ll look him up and talk to him myself,” he answered wryly.
“Don’t give him a hard time, he really was good, and I am feeling better,” I pleaded, trying to reassure him.
He considered my plea for a moment, then sighed and shrugged.
“Alright, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and take your word for it,” he conceded, then changed the topic: “I’ve got to go to the police station and sort out the driver of the other vehicle; I’m not sure how long that will take, but your parents are here, and I’ll be back,” he promised.
His words were a reminder of all the trouble I had caused.
“I’m really sorry,” I said honestly.
“I told you yesterday not to apologize and just get well soon, that’s all you need to worry about,” he said kindly, then just as he had the previous night, pecked me on my forehead, and after exchanging quick goodbyes with my parents, left.
JULIE
I arrived at Kenneth’s place a little after ten that morning, my heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and anxiety about how the meeting would go.
He opened the door for me dressed in boxers and a vest, his eyes tired and heavy with sleep, and even though he was the
one who had told me to come, there was a faint scowl of irritation at having his sleep disturbed that he was not able to completely hide; “Sorry I woke you, you didn’t say what time I should come,” I apologized, my earlier excitement quickly being replaced by a heavyheartedness that the visit I had so eagerly anticipated, was already getting off on the wrong foot.
“It’s fine; come in,” he answered gruffly, stepping aside to let me in.
“How was work?” I asked conversationally, trying to find safe ground to break the ice. He let out a sort of snicker, that I didn’t quite understand, before answering cryptically: “‘Crazy’ is probably the best way to describe it.”
“How so; what happened?”
For a few seconds he didn’t answer me as he seemed to consider his response, then with a cold, almost mean sneer, said:
“Your boyfriend’s wife was in a nasty car accident, and was brought in at the beginning of my shift.”
“What! Are you joking?” I exclaimed in shocked disbelief.
“I wouldn’t joke about something like that; and since I was the shift doctor, she’s now officially my patient,” he said smugly, while looking at me closely, like he was studying my reaction, and taking a perverse pleasure in my horrified discomfort.
“Did she recognize you?”
“No, I don’t think so – however, her husband definitely did.”
“You saw David! What did he say?” I asked anxiously.
“Not much; he was very concerned about his wife, and that’s really all he seemed to care about – I don’t know what he’s been telling you, but it was obvious he’s very in love with her,” he added pointedly.
From his tone, I could tell he thought his statement would bother me or make me jealous, but he could not be more wrong; if anything, the way I saw it, the more focused David was on Diane, the less focused he would be on me.
Unfortunately, I sensed that it would not be quite so simple, and even though I had not yet wrapped my mind around the crazy, twisted fate that had brought David, Diane’s and Kenneth’s worlds crashing into one, something told me this accident was only going to complicate and not simplify matters.
margaretwamanga@yahoo.com
Source: The Observer
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